The gorgeous ghagra choli which is also known as chaniya choli or lehenga choli that Indian women love to wear. You must have seen these flowing skirts and fitted blouses in Bollywood movies and at Indian weddings. Well, the basic ghagra choli is the same everywhere – a long, flared skirt paired with a cropped blouse. Let’s look at some super stylish regional ghagra cholis.
Rajasthani Ghagra Cholis
First up, we have the Rajasthani ghagra dress. These outfits grab your attention with their vibrant colors, bold prints and heavy embroideries. The skirts are huge with lots of gathers and pleats. The necklines are circular and deep. Earlier, the ghagras used to reach till the ankles but now shorter knee or calf length ones are also popular. Bright, contrasting color combos are a must! The cholis are short and fitted with short sleeves. Gotta love the colorful dupattas too. Lehariya, Bandhani and Sanganeri prints rock Rajasthani ghagras.
Gujarati Ghagra Cholis
Moving on, Gujarati ghagra cholis use light, flowy fabrics like chiffon, georgette or crepe. The blouses have a cool wavy neckline with sparkly embellishments. The long flared skirts have pretty embroideries and mirrorwork on the borders and waistline. Styles like Patola and Bandhani prints are common here. The sheer dupatta nicely balances the outfit.
Jamdani Chaniya Choli
Bengali brides wear the regal Jamdani ghagra dress. Jamdani is an intricate hand weaving style that creates floral patterns on the fabric. The rich silky ghagra has zari borders. The choli is structured like a corset to flaunt that waist! A translucent dupatta completes the royal bridal look. Gotta wear bold gold jewelry too!
Goan Chaniya Choli
Then we have the gorgeous Goan Kashti ghagra worn by Konkani brides. Its flared skirt is shaped like an upside down boat! Konkani ghagras use rich silks with zari, sequins, pearls and embroidery. The choli is cropped with a square or scoop neck. The light dupatta balances the heavy skirt. Temple jewelry looks awesome with this outfit!
Paithani Chaniya Choli
Maharashtrian brides prefer the Paithani ghagra choli made from the famous Paithani silk. This tapestry-woven silk has peacock and parrot zari designs. The choli is backless with straps and scoop neck. Kolhapuri saaj and gold necklaces complete the look. Some brides wear the saree style nauvari too.
Kanchipuram Chaniya Choli
Kanchipuram silk is used to make Tamilian ghagra cholis with woven gold zari designs of temples, flowers etc. The pleated or flared skirt is paired with a deep neck corset blouse and zari bordered dupatta. Temple jewels like oddiyanam, waist belt and jhumkis make Tamil brides shine!
Assam Ghagra Dress
In Assam, brides wear the unique Mekhela chador – a draped skirt with a translucent chador cloth over the upper body secured with brooches on the shoulders. The mekhela can be muga, paat or eri silk. The bright chador features motifs from Assamese weaves. Gold and coral jewelry perfectly complements this outfit.
Odisha Chaniya Cholis
Odisha’s traditional outfit is the Khata or Lepa paired with the Butha cloth draped on top. Khata is a sarong style lower garment in silks like Sambalpuri or Bomkai having lovely prints. The Butha is draped like a dupatta. Matha Patti hairpiece, beaded necklaces and armlets complete the Odia bridal look.
Wow, so many fantastic regional variations of the ghagra choli! Though the basic style is same, each region adds its own fabrics, colors, designs and styling elements making every ghagra choli unique.